hobbies

ERJ1 said:
GTD helps me finish stuff.
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Yes, I totally agree. The most recent project that I've finished using GTD was my first music video clip. I had to learn basics of Logic Pro X music production, Keynote animations, my basement stage design ;-), the art of disguise and choreography etc. The result is shocking but I like it! Unfortunately I wrote the humorous song lyrics in Polish. It's about love and big constructions of socialism:
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TesTeq said:
Yes, I totally agree. The most recent project that I've finished using GTD was my first music video clip. I had to learn basics of Logic Pro X music production, Keynote animations, my basement stage design ;-), the art of disguise and choreography etc. The result is shocking but I like it! Unfortunately I wrote the humorous song lyrics in Polish. It's about love and big constructions of socialism:
.
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Well, I may not speak Polish but this piece of art transcends all language barriers. Beautiful <3
 
TesTeq said:
Yes, I totally agree. The most recent project that I've finished using GTD was my first music video clip. I had to learn basics of Logic Pro X music production, Keynote animations, my basement stage design ;-), the art of disguise and choreography etc. The result is shocking but I like it! Unfortunately I wrote the humorous song lyrics in Polish. It's about love and big constructions of socialism
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Oh girl, oh my one and only? That certainly speaks to love, but what about socialism? ;)
 
mcogilvie said:
Oh girl, oh my one and only? That certainly speaks to love, but what about socialism? ;)
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Nearly every stanza begins with "Oh girl, oh my one and only", then describes some state of the relationship, and ends with the name of some big construction project in Poland (HUTA KATOWICE etc.). I wrote the first half of the song in 1981 (the communists era), the second half in 2020 (the populists era). The last verse sums it up: "Nothing repeats in life, but it rhymes!".
 
SheriGoddart75 said:
I think that there is no need to add computer games to GTE. Games are a fun pastime and by and large, they don't develop you.
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I don't think that everything in one's GTD system needs to develop you. If one's enjoyment of computer games is somehow enhanced by putting related actions into GTD--saving for an upgrade, remembering to sign up for something as soon as it opens, organizing an online raiding party, whatever--no reason why not.

(And I say that as someone who has failed to enjoy computer games. I'd like to--I see the sort of meditative-adrenaline value they have for some people. Not me.)
 
yoha said:
So I was wondering how do hobbies fit in gtd.
for example, I like to play video games in my free time, should this thing go into gtd? and if so then how? on next actions? or maybe on a time block that will be called "me time"?
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yoha,

On this end, "play video games" would go on a Next Action list(s) for the love of seeing/knowing how it would be relatively measuring up to all action(s)/activities as a GTD best practice: "knowing what your not doing" in order to know what one is doing is objectively the best thing one could be doing . . . developing spatial eye/hand coordination skills through playing video games . . . well then . . . game on!

As you see GTD fit
 
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For me, hobbies like gaming definitely deserve a spot in my regular planning, even when using GTD. Sometimes I feel like making time for games recharges me, and if I don’t set aside space for it, the day just gets filled by other stuff. I usually add it as “me time” on my calendar, but if I have something specific like joining a friend for an online match or checking out a new game, it goes on my next actions so I don’t forget. Recently, I tried out some digital sabong games online since it’s pretty different from my usual go-to titles.
 
Whether to incorporate hobbies into GTD hinges on whether they "occupy your attention"—a perspective that aligns more closely with GTD's core purpose of "mental unburdening" than simply discussing "management needs."

If thoughts related to your hobby pop up from time to time and distract you (such as "I want to try the online mode of that new game this week" or "I need to remember to check a certain fingering in the guitar tablature"), even without a clear "management goal," they are worth putting into the system. In this case, GTD's role is not to "control the hobby" but to free up mental space by capturing these fragmented thoughts. You can toss them into a "Someday/Maybe" list or leave a vague entry in a context list (e.g., @Home) like "Play games for 30 minutes," ensuring they won't be forgotten and won't take up brain memory.

Conversely, if a hobby is purely "purposeless relaxation"—like picking up a game controller for a couple of rounds when you're tired, without stirring any unfinished thoughts—it inherently belongs to the "free space" outside the GTD system. Forcing it into the system in such cases would only undermine its value as a "mental resting zone," so there's no need to constrain it with any lists or time blocks.

This judgment method is flexible and stays true to GTD's original intention of "letting the system carry trivial matters so the brain can focus on the present".
 
yoha said:
So I was wondering how do hobbies fit in gtd.
for example, I like to play video games in my free time, should this thing go into gtd? and if so then how? on next actions? or maybe on a time block that will be called "me time"?
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On this end, if anything can have an Outcome(s) and Next Action(s), then why be GTD prejudice in regards to hobbies . . . since any hobbies in themselves could 'hobbily' be creatively developing-&-reinforcing one's intrinsic GTD habits and skills ?

As you see GTD fit. . . .
 
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There's also the question of whether the hobby subject will suffer if it's not dealt with in an organized way.

Weeding the garden, getting the sewing machine oiled regularly, getting the kitchen knives sharpened, planning how to use up the exotic cooking ingredient (the one that you bought for just one recipe, but there's a lot left) before it goes bad, and so on.
 
This is a great question. I have tried a few different approaches. I also enjoy a good video game, play guitar, and serve as a game master for my TTRPG group. I used to try to track these like work items in my GTD system, but I found this just messed with the spontaneity of my hobbies and stressed me out when I wasn't doing the things I captured and organized.
Now I've settled on what I think is a lightweight system that balances not losing good thinking with allowing spontaneity and "vibing" my way through my hobbies, as the kids say.

  1. I keep a "Leisure" context for concrete tasks that are related to hobbies and are a good way to use my downtime
    1. examples from my current list - changing my guitar strings, travel-related research, looking up guitar tabs, prepping my next TTRPG session
  2. For more involved hobbies, I keep notes in my obsidian vault, and use the checklist feature for stuff i'd like to do but dont really care if or when it happens
    1. example, I have a songwriting note in my obsidian vault with links to drafts and finished work, as well as a list of cover songs Im working on learning. I can refer to this during practice, but they're not really next actions
    2. For games, I will keep a note on a particular playthrough. This is great for RPGs and other longer games where I can jot notes down about how I want to approach something for later. I just pull this up on my second monitor, or on my phone if im on console. I also keep reference info for games in my obsidian vault which can be handy.
  3. I dont often have projects related to hobbies unless there's a clear outcome I'm committed to
    1. I currently have 2 hobby projects - one for a trip to london next month, and another to put plans on the books for my summer weekends.
    2. my litmus test for this is whether i need a reminder in my weekly review to keep working on this. For most hobby stuff the answer is no, I just do it when i have time and feel like it. But for the above examples their time sensitive and have administrative tasks tied to them that i might otherwise procrastinate (like booking flights etc.)
 
TesTeq said:
goalless TV watching or computer game playing, or beer drinking "A HOBBY" it is not worth tracking in the GTD system. He should just do it and have fun.
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this is a good point. I think its a great use of Someday Maybe. For instance I have a list of "beers to try" as well as "beer recipes to brew", these arent next actions, but it comes in handy when I'm at the grocery store or planning a brewing day. Same with TV shows, movies, music, etc.
 
cfoley said:
I don't find that I need a reminder to play a computer game. If I have nothing assigned in my calendar, and decide not to choose items in a context list, then maybe relaxing with a computer game would be what I choose.

However, some games like RPGs have tasks to do, and areas to visit. I find a mini GTD system for that is perfect. I keep it separate from my main GTD system because it doesn't represent anything I want to accomplish in life. If I stop playing the game then its mini GTD system can be filed away. It will be there if I ever want to pick the game up again.
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I use a similar approach
 
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